Quick and easy cash
for simply mailing or receiving a few packages? Sounds too good to
be true — and it is.

Criminals are taking
advantage of difficult economic times to lure participants into their
schemes, sometimes unwittingly. Specifically, drug trafficking organizations
are soliciting cash-strapped individuals to facilitate the transfer
of illegal narcotics.

Often people who are
sending or receiving parcels for others don’t
even know what is inside the packages they are handling. That is no
excuse. Postal Inspectors warn that ignorance is not bliss; if you
participate, even unknowingly, in mailing or receiving illegal substances,
you are part of the conspiracy and will face the legal consequences.

It is a federal offense
to send drugs through the U.S. Mail. Since 2005 Postal Inspectors have
arrested nearly 6,000 suspects for using the U.S. Mail to transport
illegal drugs and the proceeds of drug sales. During those drug investigations,
Inspectors also seized about $26 million in drug money.

Like prohibited
drugs, counterfeit drugs are another problem for Americans — and sometimes a deadly one, since
there’s no guarantee that drugs ordered from unregulated sources
won’t kill you. Many companies illegally advertise and ship over-the-counter
and prescription drugs, which often pose health risks from contaminants,
improper dosages and other factors.

“Postal Inspectors will continue
to keep illegal, immoral and unsafe items out of the U.S. Mail," said
Chief Postal Inspector William R. Gilligan, Jr.. “Postal Inspectors
are charged with the mission to protect the Postal Service’s
employees, customers and infrastructure, secure the nation’s
mail system, and ensure public trust in the mail. We have been carrying
out this mission for over 200 years and will continue to do so.”

Many
Postal Inspection Service cases originate from a tip. Anyone who has
information about illegal drugs being sent or received through the
U.S. Mail can call the Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455.

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About the U.S. Postal Inspection Service
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is one of the oldest federal law enforcement agencies in the country. For more than 200 years, Postal Inspectors have protected the U.S. Postal Service, secured the nationís mail system, and ensured public trust in the mail. To learn more, visit http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov.